I'm into leather – but before your imagination runs wild with images of me in black leather whipping into submission those who don't agree with me, I'm talking about leather in the fashion sense.

Those who have attended any of the past Feet to the Fire political forums I have emceed know my signature outfit is a pair of black leather pants with flames up the legs, and matching vest.

I also have a set in red leather, and the outfits have become a kitschy signature of Feet to the Fire events.

So when I heard a traveling museum exhibit celebrating the iconic black leather jacket was coming to the MUZEO in Anaheim, my interest was piqued.

Worn to be Wild, The Black Leather Jacket Project runs from Oct. 19 to Jan 12. The exhibit traces the design history of the black leather biker jacket.

More than 50 jackets worn by rock stars and superstars will be on display, as well as rare historical ones from Harley-Davidson's archives and private collections.

Turns out the black leather jacket has an interesting cultural history.

Created for aviators during World War I, the jacket's fashion roots can be traced back to outerwear designers Irving Schott and his brother, Jack. The two created the iconic Perfecto style in 1928, according to the fashion website SSense.com (ssense.com/news/history-of-the-leather-jacket).

“The Perfecto was cut in thick leather and featured wide snap-buttoned lapels and heavy zippers making it durable enough to protect motorcyclists in the event of an accident,” the site says.

The jackets gained popularity among biker gangs of the 1930s, and when Marlon Brando wore one in the 1953 movie “The Wild One,” it quickly became a bad-boy fashion statement for the 1950s greaser subculture.

Yves Saint Laurent became the first major designer to put a Perfecto-inspired jacket on fashion runways in the 1960s.

Punk rockers adopted the style in the 1970s; the Grunge movement added its own twist in the 1980s.

With each incarnation of studs, patches, chains, safety pins and more, the black leather jacket has emerged as a subculture fashion statement transcending generations.

The history of the iconic black leather jacket is the subject of a museum exhibit at the MUZEO in Anaheim. COURTESY MUSEO
Jacket and patch from Black Panther Motorcycle Club of South Milwaukee. COURTESY MUZEO
This was a JC Penny's jacket once owned/worn by Elvis Presley. PHOTO BY BRAD CHANEY, COURTESY MUSEO
Worn to be Wild - the Black Leather Jacket Project at the MUZEO features more than 50 jackets PHOTO BY TOM FRITZ, COURTESY MUSEO
Columnist Barbara Venezia in her Feet to the Fire flame leather outfit COURTESY BARBARA VENEZIA

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